OPINION
Sierra Madre Library sign (Photo – Jean Sudbury).
The Sierra Madre Library has a remarkable history. It is the 4th oldest city library in L.A. County and the 10th oldest city library in Southern California. Now the library is at a crossroads and its existence is at stake.
By Jean Sudbury
The city of Sierra Madre began as a group of ranchers who nestled on the south side of the San Gabriel Mountains. 50 families discovered the Mediterranean paradise and created their community, one step at a time. Nathaniel C. Carter had purchased a good portion of the land from Lucky Baldwin in 1881 and founded the City of Sierra Madre.
In 1886, these settlers founded their community library and incorporated it under the laws of the State of California. With this came the arduous task of finding and funding a public gathering place, and a storage area for the volumes of classic literature shared by the community members. An area was needed to store and display a collection of 600 books. In its early days, Sierra Madre had already been recognized by the state of California as an intellectual and progressive community. The 50 original families of Sierra Madre put together money and efforts and built their first library. The cost of building the library was $3,041.00. Mrs. R. E. Ross donated a large portion of the money and the land, in the name of her husband. The members of the community financed the project.
Since 1887
In July, 1887, the Sierra Madre library was completed. The first directors of the Library planned wisely and established the principle of community service in their project. Despite financial setbacks and lack of Government funding, the library moved forward. In 1907, Sierra Madre was incorporated as a city. In 1910, the Sierra Madre Public Library was brought under the domain of the city.
As the library acquired more literary volumes to its collection, it became more unstable and more unable to safely store the books. In 1935, it was discussed that upgrading and expansion of the space was of utmost necessity. An application was put in for a Federal Government grant under the Relief appropriation act (introduced by FDR), but was denied because it was determined that Sierra Madre was not desperate enough for such funding.
Friends of the library
In 1953, the ‘’Friends of the Sierra Madre Library’’ was established as a support group, with a primary mission to sustain the library any way they could. One of the first money making ventures of the Friends of the Library was a used book sale. The Sierra Madre Art Fair was established in 1962 with a handful of local artists showing and selling their artwork to benefit the library. Today, this delightful multi-cultural two-day event takes place each year during the first weekend of May, and boasts over 200 artists, along with live music, food trucks and a beer and wine garden.
The Friends of the Sierra Madre Library continue to host several events every year which help to garner financial support for the library through contributions from community members. In 1980, the ‘’Friends of the Sierra Madre Library’’ were officially recognized as The Outstanding Friends Group in the State of California.
Sierra Madre Library emblem (Photo – Jean Sudbury).
New building, old problems
The original library was used until 1954, when it had to be torn down due to safety issues. A new building was constructed and it opened its doors in 1955. The cost of the construction of the library was $60,000.00. A grand plan for expansion had been designed along with the new library. The plan included a practical method of enlargement of the library and improvement of community services provided through the library. In 1966, the San Gabriel Valley Cooperative Library System was formed. This is an agreement between the city libraries of Sierra Madre, Pasadena, South Pasadena, Altadena and Monrovia. The alliance provides access to online research for anyone who has a library card for any of these libraries. This coalition is still in place and allows online research for many.
In May of 1967, great concern for expansion and upgrading of the library was discussed by the library board members. It was agreed upon that an expansion of 6,000 feet to the structure was necessary to hold and display the ever increasing volumes of literature. It was also determined that $100,000.00 would be needed for the project. Unfortunately, no funding was received.
In 1987, the number of books at the library had grown from 600 to 50,000 books, while the circulation expanded from 1000 to 130,000 volumes per year. The directors of the library at the time discussed the great concern of limited space, and the need for expansion, but the lack of money remained an obstacle.
In the year 2000, Proposition 14, a State Bond Act, was approved by voters to help communities expand and upgrade their libraries. The Sierra Madre Library put in a request for financial help from the State of California through this proposition. The State of California refused the application, because it was deemed that Sierra Madre was not expanding quickly enough, and there was not enough low income housing in the city to warrant such funding.
Funding
The Sierra Madre City Library is funded through various sources. The City Government funds a substantial part of the annual budget. Their contribution for 2017-2018 is $797,300.00. The Friends of the Library contribute $55,000 annually. Gifts and memorials are often contributed by local families to fund special projects. The library also benefits financially through profits from annual Wine Tasting events and Art Fair gatherings. These events represent the imagination and creativity of the community of Sierra Madre, allowing the library to keep perpetuating the unique character of Sierra Madre.
Rebuild or sell?
The Library Facilities Master Plan includes an assessment report and a structural analysis. The analysis includes the costs of compliance to current standards of ADA accessibility, and earthquake retrofitting. It also includes studies on how much more weight the floor of the library can possibly hold before it collapses into the basement. The vast collection of stored books sits on top of the basement which was not designed to hold such weight. Further more, more room was needed for books that necessitated the conversion of the community room into the children’s book room.
After years of careful analysis, two options presented themselves, rebuilding or selling the property and moving the library to a safely compliant structure. Some say the real reason behind the latter proposal is to make way for development.
Sierra Madre Library (Photo – Jean Sudbury).
Will Sierra Madre step in and save its Library?
Both the progress and woes of the library belong to the people of Sierra Madre. Somehow, in times of dire needs, someone has always come through. Will this be true this time around?
The Friends of the Library continue to host fund raising events. The annual wine tasting event is a gala celebration of all things beautiful and delicious. Monthly book club events for people of all ages help to cultivate the creative spirit of Sierra Madre. The used book sales are profitable. Tax incentives, plus donations and gifts to the library, are always a welcome resource. These elements create libraries, and it is wise to preserve them, but will they be enough?
This is the time to remember that Sierra Madre Library is a gathering place, an eclectic mixture of books and other media, and a valuable archive of local history. Will the citizens of Sierra Madre step in and find a permanent and suitable solution for their library?
Public meetings are being scheduled to share the progress and to answer questions. When the dates are scheduled, everyone showing interest in attending these meetings will be notified. If you’re interested, you can reach out to the library at 626-355-7186, and request to be put on the email list for these meetings.
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